An Alternative Vision for the Justice System

A new report commissioned by PCS setting out an alternative vision for the justice system, was launched at the House of Commons, on 22 February.

The report was written by Professor Roger Seifert, professor of industrial relations at the University of Wolverhampton.

He was joined at the launch by Richard Burgon, Labour’s shadow justice secretary, Steve Gillan, POA general secretary, Karen Watts from the PCS justice sector group executive, and Chris Baugh, PCS assistant general secretary, who chaired the meeting.

The report analyses the state of the justice system and has been developed in consultation with a range of sources including PCS activists from across the justice sector.

It explores the following themes:

The impact of austerity on justice – on staff working in the sector and for citizens in the system

The case against private provision of justice and the need for a publicly funded and accountable system

A detailed examination and critique of the impact of the government’s ideological agenda and the impact on the justice sector

The impact of the introduction of fees and charging and the denial of access to justice to citizens